The present invention relates to outdoor accessories such as planters, bird feeders, and the like and, more particularly, a modular system for displaying accessories such as bird houses, planters, and the like.
Homeowners have long used what will be referred to herein as xe2x80x9cgarden accessoriesxe2x80x9d in outdoor areas such as gardens, patios, decks, and balconies. As used herein, the term xe2x80x9cgarden accessoriesxe2x80x9d encompasses planters, birdfeeders, birdhouses, bird perches, and other objects that may be hung or fixed in outdoor locations.
Garden accessories are exposed to the elements and thus must be rugged, but are used primarily for aesthetic reasons and thus must present a pleasant appearance.
Traditionally, garden accessories were viewed as discrete objects. A person setting out to design a birdfeeder, for example, would not consider how the birdfeeder under design would fit, both functionally and aesthetically, with other garden accessories. The overall design was considered the domain of the homeowner. Accordingly, currently available garden accessories are not sold as part of broader system.
From the foregoing, it should be apparent that one primary goal of the present invention is to obtain a modular garden accessory system.
Another more specific object of the present invention is to obtain a modular garden accessory system having a favorable mix of the following characteristics:
allows the homeowner substantial flexibility in the design of a landscape;
does not require the homeowner to engineer connections between various garden accessories;
provides garden accessories and components for combining garden accessories that are rugged, functional, and aesthetically pleasing;
allows a large system to be manufactured using a relatively small number of standardized parts; and
can be easily assembled by non-skilled people.
The present invention is a modular garden accessory system in which the various components of the system have been engineered for consistent appearance and function yet provide the landscape designer with significant flexibility.
In one form, the system of the present invention comprises a support system from which garden accessories may be hung or on which garden accessories may be mounted. The support system comprises a post assembly and possibly one or more branch assemblies. The branch assemblies comprise a support member that horizontally extends from the post assembly; various garden accessories may be hung from or mounted on the support member. Optionally, garden accessories may be mounted directly to the post assembly.
The garden accessories that are hung from the support assembly can come in almost an infinite number of configurations. But in one preferred form, the garden accessories may be built around a standard base member.
The base member of the present invention has an upper surface that functions as a feeding surface for birds, a lower surface that is configured to allow the garden accessory to be mounted on a support member or post assembly, and structural components that serve to rigidify the entire garden accessory.
The base member may be made of injection-molded plastic. In this form, it is highly resistant to decay and can present a flat surface without fear that trapped water will not rot as with wood.
To prevent trapped water from spoiling food on this feeding surface, perforations are formed in the feeding surface to allow water to drain away. And the feeding surface has walls that separate the surface into a number of feed bins to facilitate feeding.
When assembled with other components into a finished accessory, the base portion will be almost entirely out of sight. The remaining components of the accessory may be made of wood or other aesthetically pleasing, but perhaps less durable, material.